In photographic printing papers, the surface of the raw paper to be emulsion-coated is generally covered by a polyethylene or other polyolefin resin layer in which titanium oxide has been dispersed by kneading so as to improve water resistance and light reflectance. The titanium oxide in particular improves the whiteness of the paper, but it also tends to adversely affect the flatness of the paper.
In high gloss printing papers which are at present most highly valued, it is desired to improve the smoothness and gloss of the paper surface in order to improve the appearance of the image. Good results can be obtained by replacing the polyolefin by polyethylene terephthalate, but the paper suffered from the disadvantage that it curled with the passage of time.
The Inventors, after detailed studies, found that this tendency to curl is reduced by covering the surface of the raw paper to be emulsion-coated with a composition comprising a dispersion of titanium oxide in polyethylene terephthalate or in a resin having polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent.